Maddon sticking to plan

Manager Joe Maddon is slow to give up on a plan once he commits to it.

That's why he's sticking with CF B.J. Upton at the top of the order despite his .204 batting average and Gabe Kapler as the platoon right fielder against left-handed pitching despite his .178 average.

That could change, of course, but Maddon said Sunday that Upton will be back in the No. 1 spot tonight against the Royals after getting most of Sunday off, and Kapler, a .291 career hitter against lefties, will keep getting his opportunities.

Maddon said he'd be more apt to drop Upton in the order if the Rays' offense was struggling, but the club entered Monday ranked second in the AL in runs per game at 5.55.

Another major consideration is that Maddon's two best alternatives for the leadoff spot aren't available. SS Jason Bartlett is on the DL until at least June 10, and 2B Akinori Iwamura was lost for the season May 24.

"I believe it's really going to catch fire," Maddon said of Upton leading off. "You've seen it - the times it's happened when he and Carl Crawford have gotten on at the same time. It's really fun to watch."

Kapler, with five RBIs and no home runs, is batting .234 against lefties and .077 against righties in 32 games with 22 starts. He fell to 4-for-21 with runners in scoring in position when he grounded out with two on in the eighth inning of Sunday's 3-2 loss to the Twins.

"He's been working hard and hitting the ball well the last couple of times out," Maddon said. "His role is to hit against lefties. I truly believe that with however you set it up, you stay with it. It's way too early to abandon that."

Here for now

Tampa native Matt Joyce is back. How long he'll remain with the Rays is an open question.

Roster spots will have to be created when Bartlett and DH Pat Burrell return from the DL. Two of the reserves will have to go back to Triple-A Durham, and at least one of the decisions will be tough.

"He's the kind of guy I believe you would like to get here and keep here, but the way our team is structured, it may not be possible for him now," Maddon said of Joyce. "So we'll just wait and see. But I do believe he could be a regular major leaguer right now."

Joyce showed he belonged in his first game back Sunday, going 2-for-3 with a home run.

Although he started in center Sunday for Upton, he'll play mostly in right, sharing the spot with Gabe Gross and Kapler. A long-term platoon role, he said, would be hard to accept.

"You want to be a starter, but everybody says you can't worry about what you can't control," he said. "You just go out and play the game and let them decide where and when you play."

Documented power

Reserve IF Joe Dillon's home run as the DH Saturday night off Minnesota's Francisco Liriano didn't come from nowhere.

Although the 33-year-old has hit only three HRs in 197 major-league at-bats, he owns 157 home runs over all or parts of 11 seasons in the minor leagues. He was invited to the Triple-A home run derby in 2004 and competed against current Twin Justin Morneau and others.

"I think I only hit two home runs in the derby, but I've had some good home run years in the minors," said Dillon, whom the Rays acquired from Oakland as the player to be named later for 2B Adam Kennedy on May 8. "Obviously, that comes with getting at-bats and opportunities.

Tony Fabrizio